Southdale Mall Skating Rink

In the winter season, you can find Minnesotans flocking to the Braemar rinks for open skating and hockey practice. However, there is a far cheaper alternative (with convenient parking) just miles away. Southdale Mall’s skating rink opens the beginning of December and provides a medium sized rink for visitors to skate in at no cost. After holiday shopping or grabbing a bite to eat at the food court, head over to the ice to skate the night away.

Winter Market

Located inside the Edina 5-0 mall on 50th and France, the Edina Winter Market will be open on Dec. 1, 8 and 15 12:00 to 3:00 PM. This Edina Art Center sponsored event aims to support local artists and provide shoppers with affordable artisan products and food vendors. The Winter Market is the perfect spot for art lovers and food lovers alike to enjoy their passions away from the cold.

Sōtarōl

Unique to Minnesota and full of creative options, 50th and France’s Sōtarōl Asian Kitchen is the best place to go when you’re in need of something new. The restaurant offers sushi, poke bowls, Asian burritos, sushi burritos, and ramen in a relaxed setting at cheap prices. In addition to pork and chicken dishes, Sōtarōl’s menu commits to sustainably raised fish, gluten-free options, and vegan and vegetarian meals so every lover of Asian food can find a good option.

Winter Jubilee

At 3:00 PM on Dec. 16 the Minnesota Symphonic Wind Ensemble will hold its holiday concert in FICK auditorium, directed by Edina High School’s own Paul Kile. Before the concert and during intermission a silent auction will take place in the commons offering prizes ranging from antique collections to gift certificates. Student and senior discounts will be offered for ticket prices, making this jubilee the perfect event for music enthusiasts and students interested in supporting the Minnesota Symphonic Winds through the silent auction.

Landmark Edina Cinema

Often overlooked next to the AMC, the Edina theater shows a variety of independent films for weekday prices as low as $7. Movies currently playing include Boy Erased, a biopic based on Garrard Conley’s 2016 memoir on his experiences in a gay conversion therapy program in Arkansas; Maria By Callas, an autobiopic film on opera singer Maria Callas directed by the singer herself; and Can You Ever Forgive Me, a fictional film about a biographer’s fall from grace and attempt at redemption. Far from expensive, this venue offers a lot in the way of educational movies as well as popcorn.

Hanna Faris